Aquaphobia
by Aiko-Chan SoT
Summary: Sonic the Hedgehog has always been deathly fearful of water. But what happens when Tails falls into the lake unconscious? Faced with an ultimatum, Sonic either has to face his fear, or risk losing Tails forever :SonicxTails Brotherly fluff. Oneshot.:


_Hey, Aiko-Chan here with another oneshot. Of course, this one is SonicxTails as well. What can I say? The friendship between them is awesome. :) Anyway, this one is another fluff, so enjoy!_

_Also, the ages are a little OC in this story. Sonic is around 13, while Tails is around 5. I just twisted them a bit to make it more entertaining. The rest of it's mostly IC, but you know how things are sometimes._

_Anyways, hope you enjoy! :)_

**Date Started: April 5th, 2008  
Date Finished: April 7th, 2008  
Date Published: April 7th, 2008**

**Aquaphobia  
**_oneshot by aiko-chan sot_

Warm days weren't hard to come by at the Mystic Ruins. But days where the sun was bright and the sky was clear wasn't something that was seen everyday. No clouds lined the sky, the sun was the strongest it had been all year, and the temperature was high in the 80's. Yes, a perfect summer day in the Mystic Ruins.

Up on a hill in the small house, a young fox stared out the window, nose pressing into the glass. His blue eyes stared longingly down at the lake far below them, sparkling in the hot sunlight. His twin-tails twitched and flicked behind him impatiently, and he glanced over his shoulder, removing his face from the glass.

"C'mon, Sonic, _hurry_!" the kitsune said, turning around to press his nose back against the glass. "I wanna go outside!" From somewhere down the back hallway came a bit of scuffling, and a voice called.

"Keep your shoes on, lil' bro!" From the hallway came a single blue blur, appearing almost instantly next to the kitsune. Cobalt blue fur shimmered in the sunlight, and a smirk spread across the hedgehogs face as he looked down at the kitsune. "We've got all day, Tails." Looking up in surprise at the hedgehog, Miles 'Tails' Prower glowered at Sonic.

"I hate it when you do that!" the fox cub told him, and Sonic the Hedgehog simply smirked again. "Can we go out now?!" The kitsunes blue eyes glowed brightly in excitement, and Sonic chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, lets go." The kitsune gave a whoop of happiness and opened the door walking outside. Sonic followed, surprised at how warm the air was. It wasn't common to have such warm days around the ruins. A little ways in front of him, Tails was running down the hill, his twin tails flying behind him. Sonic smirked before he shot off, passing Tails up single seconds later. A burst of adrenaline spread through him as he flew past the young kitsune, flashing a smile as he did. Tails face twisted in determination, and he began to twist his tails behind him, causing him to gain speed. Pretty soon he had caught up with the hedgehog, smirking proudly at him as he continued to struggle to keep up. Sonic laughed aloud just as the two finally reached the lake.

The blue water sparkled in the bright sunlight, the waterfall crashing loudly into the lake. As Sonic and Tails skidded to a stop near the water, an uneasy feeling settled over Sonic, a shiver going up his spine. Of everything he had ever been up again, he feared water the most. He couldn't swim, and simply being around water made his heart pound fearfully. But Tails had wanted to come to the lake, so as long as Sonic stayed away from the water, everything would be okay.

Next to him, Tails grinned, his blue eyes bright with happiness. He glanced at Sonic. "I'm going swimming, okay?" the kitsune told him, shouting over the waterfall, and Sonic nodded in response. Tails laughed aloud, running toward the edge of the lake. A wave of uneasiness once more fell over Sonic, but the hedgehog reminded himself that Tails could swim. Shaking off the fear, Sonic walked away from the edge of the water, sitting against the trunk of a tree. He sighed contently as he felt the suns rays warming his blue fur. He watched Tails from his place beneath the tree, swimming happily back and forth through the water. Sonic shuddered again. Anything about water made him uneasy. With another sigh, Sonic shut his eyes. _Only for a moment. Tails will be okay._The kitsune continued to splash and play in the warm water, enjoying the way it felt on his warm fur.

It wasn't much longer that Sonic reopened his eyes, looking toward the lake when the splashing had suddenly stopped. Tails was sitting on the edge of the lake, kicking the water with his feet. Sonic watched as the kitsune stood, walking around the edge of the lake, his fur dripping. With another sigh, the hedgehog closed his eyes, ignoring the uneasy feeling that had returned in his stomach. It was only water, and he was nowhere near it anyway. It was only a foolish fear.

It was at that moment that Sonic reopened his eyes automatically, and just as he did he watched as Tails stumbled slightly. The kitsune couldn't regain his balance and fell foward, his head smashing against a rock sticking up from the ground. A mere second later, a splash followed, and Sonic was on his feet in an instant, fear causing his heart to skip every other beat.

He reached the edge of the lake, gritting his teeth as he practically looked his fear in the eye. He could not see Tails beneath the surface. Silently he prayed, hoping that Tails would swim to the surface on his own. _C'mon, Tails. Come to the top. Please!_But after a few seconds, Tails still hadn't appeared. And Sonic was faced with an ultimatum.

He could either leap face first into his fear, risking his life by going underwater, or let his best friend die. Sonic knew he had to save Tails, but for some reason, his feet wouldn't move. He stared at the surface of the sparkling water, frozen in fear. _C'mon, damn it!_ he shouted at himself silently. _Your best friend is going to die if you don't hurry. Move, now!_ Gritting his teeth, Sonic finally unfroze, and with a cry, leaped into the water.

The effect was immediate. The water closed around him like a death trap, flooding his ears and soaking his fur. His instincts screamed for him to somehow get back to the surface, to save himself from his worst fear. His heart was the other thing he could hear, deafened by the water pressing into his eardrums. For a moment, he was froze again, watching the surface of the water in terror. _Damn it, Sonic! Find Tails!_He forced himself to focus, pulling his thoughts away from where he was, even though it was nearly impossible. His lungs were already screaming for air, but there was no way he could get to the surface now. He began to search the water for Tails, and almost immediately, he spotted the kitsune, floating unconsciously nearby.

Clumsily, Sonic swam the best he could to his unconscious friends side, quickly clutching his wrist. Bubbles floated around him as he clutched Tails wrist tightly, looking to the surface helplessly. He seemed to be sinking farther into the water. His lungs were screaming in pain, begging for air. Determination slipping away, Sonic simply wanted to inhale the water, and end it quickly...dying the way he feared most.

But feeling Tails wrist in his hands, Sonic knew it wasn't only his life he would be giving up. Tails needed him, and if Sonic didn't act fast, both of them would be dead.

_C'mon, Sonic, you can do it!_ he screamed at himself silently, kicking at the water beneath him. _Just kick your way to the surface!_ He kicked quickly, using his free arm to pull himself higher. Finally, the hedgehog began moving through the water, however clumsily, pulling himself closer to the surface. He ignored the panic that continued to try to overtake him as he became lightheaded, weaker, but he drove forward, and finally, his head broke the surface of the water.

Gasping for breath, Sonic quickly clawed for the edges, dragging Tails behind him as he pulled himself out of the water. His blue fur dripped, heavy with water. The hedgehog coughed loudly, placing Tails on his back on the ground. Crawling to his side, Sonic nudged him roughly, but no response came from the unconscious kitsune. Quickly catching his breath, Sonic placed his ear close to the kitsunes mouth, listening for breathing. To his horror, he could hear none. And looking closely at his chest, Sonic realized that there was no rise and fall. Panicking, Sonic's eyes grew large, and his mind raced, desperately trying to remember how to save someone who was drowning. His mind went blank as panic threatened to send him into hyperventilation.

"Tails! Tails, wake up!" he called to his younger brother, water still dripping from his quills. A soft, panicked sob emerged from his throat. "Damn it, Tails! Don't die on me!"

Sonic took a shuddering breath, his mind racing again. This time, Sonic remembered; CPR. Tails needed CPR. His mind raced through the process, and Sonic reacted quickly, placing his fists against Tails's chest, and started to press hard against his chest. Never before had Sonic panicked, and now as the panicked adrenaline rushed through him, he found it hard to focus, to keep his mind from racing with fear. Right now, it took all his concentration to simply pump Tails chest, to save his best friend.

After a few seconds, there was still no response from Tails, and Sonic gritted his teeth together so hard, his jaw popped. "Damn it, Tails, wake up!" Sonic whispered, pumping again. "Please, Tails...Please!" A few more pumps on the kitsunes chest, and to Sonic's heart stopping relief, water began to pour from Tails's mouth. Feeling his arms nearly fall limp from exhaustion, Sonic pumped one last time, and finally, the kitsune responded. As the water poured from his mouth, his eyes fluttered and he moaned, coughing up more water. With a shuddering sigh, Sonic removed his hands from Tails and sat back, watching him. Relief washed over him like cold water, and as Tails sat up, groaning and coughing, Sonic realized how close he had come from losing his best friend.

Sonic reached over and patted his brothers back, sending a little more water from the kitsunes lungs to the ground. His heartbeat was slowly regulating, and Sonic seemed to still feel like he was underwater. Tails lifted his head and looked at Sonic, an exhausted glimmer in his eyes. He coughed one last time, swaying dangerously. Sonic smiled gently at him, finding himself unable to say anything. Without a noise, Tails fell forward, and Sonic caught him before he hit the ground. He stood, cradling Tails like someone would a baby, hardly able to stand on his own legs.

"What...what happened?" Tails asked hoarsely, looking toward the lake. "I...I fell in, didn't I?" Sonic simply nodded, looking down at the kitsune, nearly unconscious in his arms. Tails looked up at him. "And you saved me...didn't you?" With a smile, Sonic nodded again, and Tails narrowed his eyes. "But...you can't swim." A concern twinkle in the kitsunes eyes cause Sonic to shrug, his mind finally emptying of the panic.

"When your desperate, you find a way to do things you didn't think you could do before," he explained to Tails, fixing the fur on his head. The two brothers stared at one another for a single moment, neither blinking, until Tails finally blinked, confusion and concern twinkling in his eyes, as well as gratefulness.

"But...but why do that for me?" For a moment, Sonic didn't say anything. Then, his smile widened and he spoke.

"Because, you're my little brother, and I love you." The kitsunes eyes twinkled happily. "And I don't know what I would do without you." Tails watched Sonic a moment before his eyes closed slowly, sighing contently.

"You're my hero, Sonic," the kitsune giggled childishly, burying himself further into Sonic's arms. His smile twisted into a sly grin. "That's the last time _I _go swimming." Both Tails and Sonic laughed aloud, and in moments, Tails had fallen asleep in Sonic's arms.

As he looked at the sleeping form of his little brother, Sonic recalled the panic he felt when he thought he was dead. The feeling had been one emotion Sonic never wanted to feel again. He shuddered gently, his blue fur standing up along his spine. He hugged Tails closer to him, and, pushing away the recollection of his panicked state, Sonic began to walk home, Tails sleeping soundly in his arms.

**End of Story**


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